Arkansas WMAs Close for Hog Eradication

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will temporarily close some WMAs to conduct aerial wild hog eradication efforts. (Photo by Piotr Krzeslak)

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFA) is closing some Wildlife Management Areas in February and March in an effort to control the expanding wild hog population.

AGFA officials say the hog control efforts will be done by aerial shooting. The flights will take place during the day in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services.

KNWA Fox24 reports that USDA APHIS specialists will shoot hogs from a helicopter. The operation’s goal is to remove as many feral hogs as possible.

Affected WMAs will be closed for one or two days to allow for flight operations. Since the operations depend on the weather, there are no official closure dates. If access to the WMA is restricted, AGFC and partnering agency staff will be on-site to maintain road and access closures.

AGFC Feral Hog Program Coordinator Ryan Farney said, “These targeted control efforts are essential to reducing feral hog populations and protecting the long-term health and sustainability of our wildlife management areas.”

The WMAs that will be temporarily closed include Cut-Off Creek WMA, Seven Devils WMA, Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA, Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA, Trusten Holder WMA, George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto WMA, U of A Pine Tree WMA, Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA, Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek WMA, Big Lake WMA and McIlroy Madison County WMA.